Who Killed Alex Odeh?

October 1985, Santa Ana, California: Palestinian American Alex Odeh, a beloved teacher and community leader, was killed by a tripwire bomb planted in his office in a brazen act of political violence.

Despite substantial evidence and identified suspects, the case was never solved. Who Killed Alex Odeh? reopens the mystery, tracking a renewed investigation in real time as new leads emerge, long-buried records come to light, and the forces behind a political assassination are finally confronted.

Unfolding like a detective thriller, the film weaves archival footage, firsthand testimony and new reporting to expose the violent fundamentalist networks behind the attack and the institutional failures that protected them. As the investigation deepens, the story widens to reveal how the extremist ideology that fueled Odeh’s murder did not disappear – it evolved, gaining traction and legitimacy in the modern political landscape.

Who Killed Alex Odeh? is both a gripping cold-case pursuit and a timely examination of political violence, asking what it means when acts of terror go unresolved, and how justice denied continues to shape the world we live in.

Who Killed Alex Odeh?, dir. Jason Osder and William Lafi Youmans, USA 2026, 84 min.